Most of us learned how to perform the close grip bench press from reading muscle building magazines. If not, we learned from a similar source, or possibly just winged the exercise.

Because of its name – the close grip bench press – lifters assume they must perform it with their hands as close together as possible. This is incorrect.

When performing the close grip bench press your wrists should be directly above your elbows. Remember that point, because it’s an important one.

When performing the close grip bench press your wrists should be directly above your elbows

Most lifters perform close grip benches with their wrists well inside their elbows, generally about 6-8 inches apart. Watch most videos of the lift and you can see the forearms forming a triangular-type shape.

Not only is this horrible for the wrist and shoulder joints, but it also cuts back on the amount of iron you can move.

Performing The Close Grip Bench Press Correctly

To learn how to perform the close grip bench press properly, I want you to do the following:

Stand with your arms at your side.

Keeping your elbows at your side, raise your hands until they are parallel to the ground.

Pretend like you are grabbing the bar.

That’s it. This is exactly how you should be performing the close grip bench press. Note the grip width and practice your setup with an empty bar.

So there you have it. Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it goes.